Herbert w



H. W. BASTIAN.

BOOT 0R SHOE LAST.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 12. 1916.

1,325,608. Patentd Dec. 23,1919.

IVEWBERT hf. Bear/0M i uemor' nnrransrnrns PATE T o nion;

HERBERT W. CBASTIAN, 0F SUMMITCOUNTY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THEFIRESTONE TIRE *AND RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BOOT OR SHOE LAST.

Application filed December 12, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT W. BASTIAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the county of Summit, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boot or Shoe Lasts, of which the following is a specification.

The last forming the subject matter of this invention is intended for use in the manufacture of rubber boots or shoes, and is designed to facilitate the removal of the last after the boot or shoe is cured. In the ordinary construction of boot lasts in which there is a toe portion removable from .the leg or main portion of the last a long pin or bolt is passed through the leg portion of the boot and screws into the removable toe portion. In order to separate the two parts of the last so that it can be removed from the finished boot it is necessary to first unscrew the bolt whereupon the main or leg portion can first be removed and then the toe portion. In the improved construction the locking rod or bolt has been dispensed with and in its place there has been provided a spring construction which holds the two portions of the last together sufficiently to enable a boot to be built and cured thereon, but may be separated from the leg portion by a downward pull. This is a simpler and easier method of manipulating boot lasts than any heretofore known to me.

In the drawings I have shown one form of last, but it is understood that this is one form only, and that the invention may be embodied in different forms than that shown.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a boot last, the lower part of the last being in section.

Fig. .2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the toe portion of the last, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the spring or latch removed from the last.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the different views. 1 represents the leg or main portion of the last and 2 the toe or removable portion. Both portions of the last are preferably made of aluminum and hollow for the sake of lightness. The lower front portion of the leg is Specification of Letters Ifatent.

Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

Serial No. 136,549.

recessed, one wall 3 of the recess being vertical and the other wall 4 being horizontal. The rear end of the toe or foot portion is shaped to fit in the recess of the leg portion, the vertical surface 5 having a longitudinal dovetail slot 6 open at its upper end and adapted to fit over a dovetail rib 7 in the vertical face of the recess on the leg portion. In the face of the rib 7 there is formed a V-shaped notch or recess.

In using the last for the manufacture of the boot and for vulcanization the toe portion is assembled on the leg portion of the last by sliding the part 2 on the part 1 with the slot 6 over the rib 7. In order to hold the two parts of the last together so that it can be handled by the boot builders a light metal leaf spring or latch 10 is employed, this being fastened to the lower inside surface of the toe by a small screw or similar fastening means 11. The spring lies within the slot 6 and is generally parallel with the rib 7, being provided at its central portion with a V-shaped projection 13 adapted to seat in the notch 8 in the rib which forms a detent for the spring. An extended end 12 of the spring is adapted to rest on the upper inside surface of the portion 2 of the last and serves to keep the spring in operative position.

The spring is in the nature of a swinging latch and serves as a means for holding the two portions of the last together impositively, that is, with a suflicient force to hold under ordinary conditions, but when the proper force is applied in the right direction, that is, downwardly they may be separated, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Changes and modifications in the design and construction of the last may be made without sacrificing any of the benefits of the invention.

Claims 1. A boot last comprising a leg portion and a toe portion, one of said portions having a groove and the other of said portions having a rib arranged to cooperate with said groove to hold said portions in interlocking sliding engagement with each other, and a leaf spring secured at one end to said portion having the groove and resting on. said portion at the other end, said spring having a latch formation projecting into said groove, said rib having a notch therein arranged to receive said latch formation.

2. A boot last comprising aleg portion and a toe portion, one of said portions having a groove, and the other of said portions having a rib arranged to cooperate with said groove to hold said portions in interlocking sliding engagement with each other, and a leaf spring secured to one of 10 said portions and having a free end, the free end of said spring resting .on that portion, said spring having a latch formation, the other portion of the last having a device arranged to cooperate With said latch forrna- 15 tion to hold the two said portions together.

HERBERT W. BASTLIAKv 

